Comments on: Catholic Church tells worshippers to bombard MPs with letters telling them to vote against gay equalityhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/
PinkNews Gay news, reviews and comment from Europe's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans news serviceTue, 03 Mar 2015 22:55:00 +0000hourly1By: Stevenhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-390841
Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:38:20 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-390841I agree. Britain was ‘intolerant’ to Roman Catholics for a good reason
prior to that act in the sense that these people owed their allegience to a foreign head of state and couldn’t be trusted. Perhaps, it is is time to ban the Roman Catholic church in Britain if its leaders can’t keep-out of politics.
]]>By: kithttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-390777
Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:59:53 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-390777this man has No right to vote in this country he should mind his own business. Perhaps we should all write to our M.Ps calling for the repeal of the 1829 Catholic Emancipation Act?
]]>By: Rayhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-390163
Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:55:29 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-390163Funny how when Cardinal O’Brien suggested that the scottish people should be able to vote (hold a referendum) if they want marriage redefined , the so-called ‘equality’ lobby suddenly got panic attacks and tried to move the debate away from democracy ! It’s the homosexual lobby who make up less than 0.25% of the population who can’t abide democracy.With over two-thirds of people against any change to redefine marriage , we all know who the regressives are !.
]]>By: Emoryhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389949
Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:25:42 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389949It always saddens me to see these church leaders speak so hatefully, they should know better. What was it again, “Judge not, lest…”
]]>By: VPhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389804
Wed, 02 Jan 2013 01:06:39 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389804The state is not the final arbiter of the meaning of words. The people who use them are. But the state’s laws are written in words, English words, and legal definitions are an important influence on colloquial usage. There is a feedback relationship there.

What equal marriage laws do is enshrine a fair, tolerant, just and equal definition in law, not a bigoted and homophobic one. That is an important thing to do. They recognise that the word “marriage” IS gender-neutral in the language today, rather than trying to pretend that it is still the 1950s and the word isn’t gender-neutral. The law has to take a side on this, and it is important that it takes the side of equality.

]]>By: VPhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389803
Wed, 02 Jan 2013 01:01:04 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389803Homophobia is a form of bigotry. A form of christianity that teaches homophobic things is homophobic. Therefore the homophobic christian definition of marriage is homophobic. It doesn’t have to be – people calling themselves christians could (and many do) go for a non-homophobic definition. In choosing to go with a homophobic one, they are homophobes – it’s that simple.

And while nothing would please me more than seeing the mind-rot of christian thought gone from the world for good, there is a big difference between calling something vile and bigoted and seeking to eradicate its adherents by force. People are allowed to be bigoted in their thinking, what we must not do is allow their bigotry to influence the law and trump equality, or give them special rights to put their bigotry into action at others’ expense. Big difference there. Big difference.

And what is “magical” about the word marriage is precisely the cultural prestige and cachet it has. We deserve that prestige too.

]]>By: VPhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389795
Tue, 01 Jan 2013 23:48:45 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-3897951. I have no “LGBT christian brothers and sisters”. The use of family language to describe non-familial relations, in an attempt to smuggle over some of the importance of those relations, is yet another piece of parasitisation that religious groups have foist upon us.

2. christianity is a cult. All religious groups are That’s a simple fact. The word “cult” is better than “religion” for describing it in English, because “cult” has connotations of being sinister, extreme and ridiculous, which the christian cult most emphatically is, where “religion” has positive connotations that simply do not belong with this particular brand of mind-rot.

3. It has, like all religions do, parasitised the culture of the people who cultivate it. How else would you describe taking credit for inventing something you demonstrably did not, then pretending you alone has some special authority in it?

And yes, I do support people in being gay. If they are religious, I tell them to grow up and get over it!

]]>By: Sabrananhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389767
Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:00:56 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389767CP’s are not recognized as marriages abroad, and using this proposal, no marriage would be legally recognised abroad (because it would simply be a religious ceremony with no legal meaning). Redefining civil marriage and allowing religions to discriminate how they like is a better solution. At the end of the day marriage is a concept, nobody really owns it and different people and groups have different definitions.

And I agree, there’s no reason really why we can’t legally permit polygamy. As long as everyone involved gives informed consent (say a woman wants to marry a second partner, it’d be easy enough to check the records and sent a legal notification to the first) I don’t have a problem with that. The reality though is there’s no demand for that at the moment, but I’m sure it’ll come.

]]>By: NeilUKhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389728
Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:59:33 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389728Listening to the RC Church lecturing us on child welfare is like reading a book by Harold Shipman on geriatric healthcare!
]]>By: NeilUKhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389726
Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:52:15 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389726Semantics. In reality the monarch has no power, their role is to advise, consult, and warn against actions which the monarch, using their own much greater experience of domestic / world affairs, thinks are ill-advised.
Parliament could, remember, strip the monarch of much of their income (Civil List), or even declare a republic, though the public would prevent this.

Oh, and Cameron was never elected, except as an MP. He is PM as the result of a very shady deal in a back room.

]]>By: NeilUKhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389725
Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:40:23 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389725Or being a gay Tory or Republicans
]]>By: NeilUKhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389723
Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:26:07 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389723No, they do not. Read the provisions of the Equality Act 2010. Marriage is specifically excluded, but the reverse of what you state is true, institutions MUST NOT exclude, marginalise or show bigotry or prejudice towards any minority as defined within the 9 “protected statuses / characteristics”, unless following specific exclusions under the Act (marriage being one)
]]>By: Jock S. Traphttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389649
Tue, 01 Jan 2013 08:43:57 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389649It’s clear to all the Roman Catholics here are bigoted and against any form of democracy. Dictating at will is not good for society, is not progressive to a better humanity.

Let these vile people rot in their own anger but away from the decency of a modern non-discriminatory society.

]]>By: Mike Marshallhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389638
Tue, 01 Jan 2013 06:23:41 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389638I’m a Catholic. I’ve asked my current MP and my previous MP to vote for equal marriage and they both agreed. I dont know a single Catholic in the clergy or thr congregation who agrees with Dr. Nicholls. The Christian religion is based on values such as compassion, equality and love. What a shame that His Grace has forgotten this.
]]>By: Chipsyhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389624
Tue, 01 Jan 2013 01:23:07 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389624So you admit to being an anti-Muslim bigot?
]]>By: Dave Northhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389567
Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:11:36 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389567Pope Palpatine and the Last Crusade.

Christians should feel ashamed for the poison they have vomited over every decent thing they touch.

]]>By: Riondohttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389564
Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:07:15 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389564It is plainly what they aspire to do, something clearly revealed in the way they talk as though they have copyright over what marriage is and spout demonizing nonsense about people who just want equal access to civil marriage. Essentially the same people want to exempt Christians from obeying anti-discrimination laws incumbent on everyone else on the ground that their beliefs should grant them immunity. Basically the idea is ‘make everyone else live under laws shaped by a theology they do not share, and dispense us from obeying inconvenient laws made by anyone else’. No, thanks.
]]>By: Dave Northhttp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/31/catholic-church-tells-worshipers-to-bombard-mps-with-letters-telling-them-to-vote-against-gay-equality/comments/#comment-389563
Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:06:21 +0000http://www.pinknews.co.uk/?p=33008#comment-389563This is NOT a muslim country “yet”.

I pick my fights with the established church of this country, the CofE.

The one with the 26 bishops in our house of Lords who have the power to make or break this legislation.

The catholic church is on shaky ground here.

The Vatican is a UN recognized state trying to interfere with UK democracy.